A new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association reveals that placental abruption, a serious pregnancy complication, may increase the child's risk of cardiovascular disease by age 28. Researchers found that individuals born to mothers who had a placental abruption were about 4.6 times more likely to die from cardiovascular disease and nearly three times more likely to be hospitalized for heart-related conditions compared to those born without this complication.
Placental abruption occurs when the placenta separates from the uterus before delivery, affecting about 1% of pregnancies. According to the American Heart Association's 2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics, this condition can lead to severe hemorrhaging and other complications. The study analyzed nearly 3 million births in New Jersey from 1993 to 2020, following offspring for up to 28 years.
"Our study suggests that placental abruption needs to be taken as a very serious complication for the mother and also potentially affecting the baby's cardiovascular health later in life," said study lead author Cande Ananth, Ph.D., M.P.H., chief of the division of epidemiology and biostatistics at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. The findings underscore the importance of monitoring children born from pregnancies complicated by placental abruption for heart and stroke-related conditions as they grow up.
The study reported that out of 2,949,992 pregnancies, 1% (28,641) were affected by placental abruption. During the follow-up period, the risk of stroke hospitalization was 2.4 times higher for children whose mothers had a placental abruption. These risks were even higher among children younger than 1 year old. An additional analysis comparing biological siblings suggested that genetic and environmental factors did not explain the relationship.
"Placental abruption is a sudden and often catastrophic event that cannot be prevented and comes with no warning," Ananth noted. He emphasized the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, avoiding smoking, alcohol, and illegal drugs, and controlling blood pressure to reduce risk factors associated with placental abruption.
Stacey E. Rosen, M.D., FAHA, volunteer president of the American Heart Association, who was not involved in the study, reinforced the need for monitoring. "We know that women who have complications during pregnancy are often at higher risk for heart disease and stroke, and that's why the American Heart Association recommends closely monitoring these women," she said. "The findings of this study reinforce that it is also important to monitor their babies for risks and identify opportunities to reduce the potential impact."
More research is needed to understand the mechanisms linking placental abruption to cardiovascular risk in offspring. The study's limitations include its reliance on hospital and death records, which cannot prove cause and effect. The study is part of the Placental Abruption and Cardiovascular Event Risk (PACER) project and was published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. Additional resources from the American Heart Association include scientific statements on maternal stroke prevention and heart disease risk factors in women.
